Water skiing tournament coming to Lake Lure

Published: Thursday, June 19, 2014 at 9:30 p.m.

Last Modified: Thursday, June 19, 2014 at 9:30 p.m.

Mystic Waters in Lake Lure will be host to the Mystic Waters Ski & Skeet Pro-Am Tournament, which will be held from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Aug. 23.

The tournament and family festival is presented by Carolina MasterCraft, along with Rutherford Regional Health System. The two-day event wraps up on Sunday, Aug. 24, with professional water skiing lessons. The tournament is hosted by Mystic Waters, a private water-ski lake and the Lake Norman Ski Club.

"Rarely do water-ski tournaments take place in a dedicated ski venue that also has space for spectators," said Lynn Carnes Pitts, festival co-director, avid skier and co-owner of Mystic Waters. "Our venue allows skiers to enjoy the perk of skiing in excellent conditions before a cheering crowd, which is an uncommon treat for competitors in this sport."

In addition to watching some of the world's best water skiers compete alongside their amateur partners on Aug. 23, attendees to the free event can also enjoy a full-day festival featuring live music, performances from the A-Lure "Dirty Dancing" dancers and the Lake Lure Cloggers, health and wellness vendors, local artists, food, tai chi and fly fishing demonstrations, guided hikes and more.

A pro-am skeet-shooting tournament will also take place on the property but will not be open to spectators due to safety concerns. On Aug. 24, people can sign up for water-ski lessons from some of the pros.

Jeff Cochrane, president of the Lake Norman Ski Club and co-director of the Mystic Waters Ski & Skeet Pro-Am, said the overall goal of the weekend is to promote health and wellness while bringing added attention to the sport of water skiing.

"Mystic Waters is amazing and there's not another lake like it that has the quality and scenery with a great, big grassy area where people can watch skiers up close and personal," he said.

Professional tournament water-skiers — like Austin Abel, who is one of the top-ranked skiers in the world — said that Mystic Waters is a "one-of-a-kind" ski lake.

"There is no tournament lake in the world like Mystic Waters," said Abel, who competes in most pro tournaments held each year. "Here I can have an intense time on the water and then stick around to really enjoy the peace and the area and not just ski, ski, ski, then leave."

Abelis also an instructor at Trophy Lakes in Charleston, S.C.

"I could stay here for weeks, and after training on Mystic Waters, go mountain biking, hiking and then play on Lake Lure," he said.

<p>Mystic Waters in Lake Lure will be host to the Mystic Waters Ski & Skeet Pro-Am Tournament, which will be held from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Aug. 23.</p><p>The tournament and family festival is presented by Carolina MasterCraft, along with Rutherford Regional Health System. The two-day event wraps up on Sunday, Aug. 24, with professional water skiing lessons. The tournament is hosted by Mystic Waters, a private water-ski lake and the Lake Norman Ski Club.</p><p>"Rarely do water-ski tournaments take place in a dedicated ski venue that also has space for spectators," said Lynn Carnes Pitts, festival co-director, avid skier and co-owner of Mystic Waters. "Our venue allows skiers to enjoy the perk of skiing in excellent conditions before a cheering crowd, which is an uncommon treat for competitors in this sport."</p><p>In addition to watching some of the world's best water skiers compete alongside their amateur partners on Aug. 23, attendees to the free event can also enjoy a full-day festival featuring live music, performances from the A-Lure "Dirty Dancing" dancers and the Lake Lure Cloggers, health and wellness vendors, local artists, food, tai chi and fly fishing demonstrations, guided hikes and more. </p><p>A pro-am skeet-shooting tournament will also take place on the property but will not be open to spectators due to safety concerns. On Aug. 24, people can sign up for water-ski lessons from some of the pros. </p><p>Jeff Cochrane, president of the Lake Norman Ski Club and co-director of the Mystic Waters Ski & Skeet Pro-Am, said the overall goal of the weekend is to promote health and wellness while bringing added attention to the sport of water skiing. </p><p>"Mystic Waters is amazing and there's not another lake like it that has the quality and scenery with a great, big grassy area where people can watch skiers up close and personal," he said.</p><p>Professional tournament water-skiers — like Austin Abel, who is one of the top-ranked skiers in the world — said that Mystic Waters is a "one-of-a-kind" ski lake.</p><p>"There is no tournament lake in the world like Mystic Waters," said Abel, who competes in most pro tournaments held each year. "Here I can have an intense time on the water and then stick around to really enjoy the peace and the area and not just ski, ski, ski, then leave."</p><p>Abelis also an instructor at Trophy Lakes in Charleston, S.C. </p><p>"I could stay here for weeks, and after training on Mystic Waters, go mountain biking, hiking and then play on Lake Lure," he said.</p>